The South African Landrace, Large White, and Duroc are the most popular commercial pig breeds in South Africa (Farmer's Weekly). Taaibosch has also chosen these pig breeds for breeding.
We operate a 2 300-sow breeding & nursery unit, a weaning unit, a growing & finishing unit, and a separate genetic nucleus (300 sow unit). Our on-farm feed mill has enabled us to mix our own feed to ensure top-quality nutrition for our animals. We also have our own Artificial Insemination Laboratory.
We're going to summarise the characteristics of these pig breeds and why we chose them:
Large White
Landrace
Jersey Red Duroc
1. Pig Breeds: Large White
Large White pigs are light in colour and have prominent upright ears and longer legs. They are a very hardy breed and do well in a variety of weather and climate conditions. Large Whites have excellent maternal instincts, big litter sizes, and good milk production.
The Large White pig is a great choice to cross-breed with as they improve other breeds and can be a dual-purpose breed to improve growth as well.
At Taaibosch we cross Large White and Landrace to breed F1 gilts for commercial use.
2. Pig Breeds: Landrace
Landrace pigs are light in colour and have drooping ears with longer bodies. In the past, leg weakness was a concern of the Landrace breed but this has been improved with selective breeding.
Although the Landrace is smaller than the Large White, they have great ham and loin development, with excellent milk production and maternal instincts. They are therefore often cross-bred with Large White to produce commercial F1 gilts.
3. Pig Breeds: Jersey Red Duroc
Jersey Red Duroc pigs are reddish-brown, large-framed, medium length, and muscular, with partially drooping ears. They are known for excellent growth (building muscle quickly). They have high meat quality since they have increased tenderness and superior marbling (a trait for which they are selected). They are also known for being docile and robust.
That is why our Jersey Red Durocs are used as our terminal line to ensure high-quality meat while maintaining profitable and cost-effective growth. The ultimate pork experience for the consumer.
Taaibosch is creating a path towards the best quality pork and eating experience the market has to offer and we chose Genesus to be our genetic partner. The Genesus Jersey Red Duroc was introduced into the marketplace in 2022. The Jersey Red produces the most succulent pork and is regularly used by Gordon Ramsey and the chefs at Buckingham Palace!
Genesus is the world’s largest independent producer of high health registered purebred pigs in the world, owning over 80% of all registered purebred breeding stock in Canada. Their sole focus is Non-GMO swine genetic improvement built on factors that improve their customers’ profitability, including sow reproduction and longevity, feed intake and growth performance, natural disease resistance, carcass and meat quality.
For more information about local sales and exports, get in touch with sales@taaibosch.com.